Great Belief
by darkestboy
Summary: The Doctor and Rose muse over their beliefs following their recent experiences with the Beast. Set a little during and after The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit.


**Name:** Great Belief  
**Characters:** 10th Doctor, Rose Tyler, the Ood and the Beast.  
**Synopsis:** The Doctor and Rose muse over their beliefs following their recent experiences with the Beast. Set a little during and after _The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit_.

Rose Tyler had gotten a change of clothing and had cleaned herself up while the Doctor had gotten out of the spacesuit he had been wearing from their previous adventure. She had looked around for him for a bit in the TARDIS before finding him in the library. The Doctor was peering at an old text Rose thought might have been from his own planet but wasn't sure if she should ask him or not. Whatever it was, he definitely looked very immersed in it.

"Doctor?" Rose raised an eyebrow as she had taken a seat beside him and looked at the cover of the text. She couldn't read what the name of the book. "What are you reading?"

"Old nursery rhymes," the Doctor smiled at her while adjusting his glasses just a bit. A particular passage had gotten his attention. "Gallifreyan, Rose. That also might be why you're unable to understand the title of the book."

"What, the TARDIS doesn't let me understand your own planet's language?" Rose asked, before lying back on her chair and folding her arms. "That's a bit disappointing."

"Sorry," the Doctor smiled and put the book down, before looking at Rose softly. He didn't have to be a mind reader to tell there was something on her mind. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

"What was it like?" Rose didn't beat around the bush. She knew the best way of getting a straight answer from the Doctor was to go for the direct approach, which in this circumstance she did. "Being on that planet with the Beast. I didn't ask before."

"Let's just say it's one of those experiences I'm in no hurry to repeat," the Doctor replied, sounding a little stiffly. His mind thought of the planet and the Beast for a moment.

"I wish I had been there with you," Rose said a little sullenly. "I felt pretty useless on that ship. I didn't really know what I was doing."

"From what I saw and heard, you were anything but useless. Rose Tyler, on a spaceship not only worrying about me but saving everyone else?" the Doctor countered as he adjusted his glasses, before deciding to take them off altogether. "Not even close to useless."

"It wasn't just me," Rose replied. "I mean, yeah, I sent Toby out into deep space but it's not like I was the only one trying to save the day."

"It was because of you that the Beast didn't succeed, Rose," the Doctor said, relaxing on his chair. "You know that, right?"

"But how?"

"The Beast's main purpose to get people to doubt themselves, to give into that very fear," the Doctor looked at Rose intensely. "Doesn't matter if you're human, Time Lord or a monkey, he could get the best of us."

"But he didn't get you?" Rose found herself holding the Doctor's hand. There was a hesitation, a pause for the tiniest of moments but the Doctor just kept looking at his companion, waiting for her to continue. "The Beast might be – _that thing_. I can't even say it, but even he was no match for you. How was he no match for you?"

"He could've been, even I'm not invincible, Rose," the Doctor replied soberly. "However, he did underestimate me though. I had something against him. Something even he couldn't turn on me."

"What was that?" Rose realised she was still holding the Doctor's hand and for a tiny moment, she also realised that she had brought one of her hands to his face, resting it on his cheek.

"You, Rose Tyler," the Doctor smiled at her. It was a beautiful, beaming smile, but it was also in that moment where Rose removed her hand from his face and looked at him. "Your faith in me. My own in you. The very best of humanity. Not even the Beast can truly corrupt something like that, try as it might and it did."

Rose sat back in her chair and took in what the Doctor had said to her, unable to say anything remotely comprehensible. There were plenty of times when she had been stunned for words whilst travelling with the Doctor and this was another one of them.

"Rose, say something," the Doctor smiled at her.

"I believe in you too, Doctor," Rose smiled as she got up from her chair and then extended a hand for the Doctor to get up out of his, which he did. "Where to next?"

The Doctor smiled at his companion and the both of them walked away but while they look at each other with utter content, both of them were thinking certain things as well. The Doctor thought of the Ood that had been lost, victims of the Beast as much as any of Zachary's crew and Rose herself thought of the Beast and his cryptic warning.

_The Valiant child will die in battle so very soon._

_No,_ Rose thought to herself. _I will not die. He's wrong._

- The End -


End file.
